Door opening circuit

ABSTRACT

A door opening circuit comprises pipe-shaped housing and a button which can be moved axially in a housing in order to actuate a circuit component connected to the housing. The button is held in a rest position by a force and can be pushed in a direction opposing said force. Perpendicular to the push path of the bottom and pivotable about a pivot mount. A lever is provided perpendicular to the push path of the button and pivotable about a pivot mount. The lever acts upon a circuit component from a position at a distance to the pivotal mount, whereby the button impinges upon the lever between the pivotable mount and the aforementioned position. Another button is located concentrically to the first button on the reverse side of the housing. The pivotal mount is provided with a lever element. The lever can be moved in the direction of the housing longitudinal axis towards the first button. The other button impinges on the lever element and is held by a force in a rest position and can also be pressed in against the action of said force.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a door opener switch with a tubular housingand a button that can move axially in the housing to actuate a switchingmechanism that is connected with the housing, whereby the button can beheld in its idle position by a restoring force and can be pushed inagainst the action of said return force, with a lever that is orientedtransversely in the path of movement of the button and can be pivoted bythe button around a pivot bearing, which lever acts with a location thatis at some distance from the pivot bearing on the switching mechanism,whereby the button contacts the lever between the pivot bearing and theabove mentioned location.

2. Brief Description of the Related Art

Door opener switches require a push button that has a large surface areawith a short actuator travel and a flat construction. To achieve thiscombination, switches of the prior art are equipped with electroniccircuit elements, although such elements are sensitive to voltagesurges. Voltage surges of this type are common, especially in publictransit systems such as railroads, streetcars etc. and can lead todamage to the switches or to disruptions in the operation of the door.

To correct this undesirable situation, this same applicant's EP 0 743136 describes a door opener switch that combines the advantages of anelectronic switch that has a short actuator travel with the advantagesof a mechanical switch, in particular the rugged construction of thelatter. This door opener switch works satisfactorily.

The door opener switches of the prior art described above generally havea collar, the front or back side of which forms a contact surface, andwhich are mounted in contact with the side surface of a streetcar orsimilar vehicle. In the prior art, two door opener switches, one insideand one outside, are currently required to operate a door.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

On the basis of the prior art described above, the object of theinvention is a door opener switch of the type described above, withwhich, in the form of a single switch, a door, for example the door of apublic transit vehicle, can be actuated both from inside and fromoutside.

The invention teaches that on the back side of the housing there is anadditional button which is oriented concentric to the first button, thatthe pivot bearing is provided in a lever element which can be displacedin the direction of the longitudinal axis of the housing toward thefirst button, that the additional button contacts the lever element andthat the additional button is held in its idle position by the restoringforce and can be pushed in against the action of said restoring force.Therefore the invention also teaches a dense construction that creates asimple and also streamlined double door switch regardless of the actualthickness of the glass.

Additional advantageous embodiments of the invention are disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described in greater detail below on the basis of theaccompanying schematic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through a door opener switch accordingto the present invention,

FIG. 2 illustrates the function of the door opener switch illustrated inFIG. 1 when the switch is actuated from the front side,

FIG. 3 illustrates the function of the door opener switch illustrated inFIG. 1 when the switch is actuated from the back side, and

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of the door opener switch illustrated inFIG. 1 installed in a glass door.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a door opener switchaccording to the present invention. The switch has a multiple-part,tubular housing which is installed in a mounting surface 1. The mountingsurface 1 can be, among other things, a glass door on a public transitvehicle. The housing consist of, among other things, a rear, hollow,cylindrical jacket 2 and a front cover hood 3. The cover hood 3 covers,among other things, the jacket support 4 which has at least one openingthrough which a screw 5 is screwed into a corresponding thread of therear jacket 2. In this manner, the door opener switch is fixed inposition in the mounting plate 1. Inserted into the rear jacket 2 is ahousing ring 6 which is realized in its internal area so that it issimilar to the housing jacket support 4 and forms a symmetrical interiorwith regard to the housing axis 7 and the switch plane 8 that isperpendicular to said housing axis 7.

Two circuit boards 9 and 10 are oriented parallel to each other andsymmetrically with reference to said plane 8. On these circuit boards 9and 10 there are, among other things, diodes 11 in a diode array thatpreferably illuminate the ends 12 and 13 of the door opener switch andimprove the visibility of the switch for a user or indicate to the userthe operating status of the switch. For this purpose, the housingelements 4 and 6 naturally must be made of a translucent material. Thecircuits boards 9 and 10 have a through-boring placed around the axis14, whereby the axis 14 runs at a short distance of one millimeter, forexample, parallel to the longitudinal axis 7 of the housing. A sleeve 15is inserted into this opening through the circuit boards 9 and 10, inwhich sleeve a lever element 16 is mounted. This lever element 16 ismovable in the direction of its axis of symmetry 14. The lever elementhas, on its front side, a stop collar 17 which forms a stop for themovement of the first lever element 16 into the rear portion of theswitch.

Instead of a diode array, it is also possible to use optical fibersthat, starting from a luminous element, can be routed to differentpoints of the switch underneath a transparent area of the switch. Thelight that escapes from the ends of the optical fibers then indicates tothe user the operating status of the switch. It is thereby possible tobundle different optical fibers at the respective light exit points,that are each fed light from a different colored light source, such as alight-emitting diode, for example.

The circuit boards 9 and 10 are inserted in a ring-shaped circuit boardcarrier 18 which is supported between the housing elements 4 and 6 andagainst them. They thereby lie on a plurality of small pyramids 38 andwhen the housing elements 4 and 6 are assembled, they are pressedagainst them correspondingly. The result is an outward facing surface ofthe circuit boards 9 and 10 that has a defined axial position. Theseabove mentioned connections are then ultrasonically welded to form atight, one-piece switch unit. In the sleeve there is an opening throughwhich the connecting cables 28 can be led out sideways.

The switch function is initiated by means of a front pushbutton 20 and aback pushbutton 30, both of which preferably have a rather largediameter. The pushbutton 20 and 30 are connected with the elements 4 and6 by means of a sealing elastic sealing bellows, which is illustrated ingreater detail in FIG. 4. The pushbuttons 20 and 30 can in particularmove along their axis of symmetry 7 toward the center of the housing ofthe door opener switch. In the idle position of the switch illustratedin FIG. 1, the pushbutton 20, which is connected with the pushbuttoncarrier 22, is in a stop by means of the collar 21. The same arrangementis used for a push button 30, which is secured to prevent it fromfalling out by means of a corresponding stop 34 against the element 6.

The above mentioned lever element 16 has a pivot bearing 23 that can beoffset laterally from the axis 14 with respect to the axis 7, and hasamong other things a ball socket in which a projection 24 of a lever 25is mounted. As shown by the additional axis 46 which is shown parallelto the housing axis 7, the pivot bearing 23 is located at some lateraldistance away from the longitudinal axis 7 of the housing, whichdistance is greater than the distance between the axis of symmetry 14 ofthe lever element 16 and the longitudinal axis 7 of the housing. Thisdistance can be 2.2 millimeters, for example. The lever 25 has a shaftthat runs transversely in which a roller 26 is mounted and impacts aleaf spring 27. The lever 25 has a lever end 29 which is at a distancefrom the housing longitudinal axis 7 that is, for example, eight to tentimes greater than the distance from the additional longitudinal axis46. The lever end 29 is in contact with a spring-loaded actuator cam 31which is associated with a mechanical switching mechanism 32.

The operation of the electrical door opener when the switch is actuatedfrom the front side is illustrated in FIG. 1. The same features areidentified with the same reference numbers in all the figures. Forreasons of simplicity, however, not all the elements are shown in allthe figures. The arrow 40 indicates the application of a force to thefront push button 20. When actuated by said force, the push buttoncarrier 22 is displaced toward the longitudinal axis 7 of the housinginto the interior of the switch. The above mentioned contact 21 isthereby released. With the movement of the push button carrier 22, theleaf spring 27 of the push button carrier 22 is likewise displaced,whereby the roller 26 is in contact with the leaf spring. As a result ofthe lateral offset of the pivot bearing 23, the roller 26 runs along theleaf spring 27 and moves away from the longitudinal axis 7 of thehousing. This happens because the lever element 16, on account of thecontact 17, can move no farther toward the longitudinal axis 7 of thehousing. As a result of the lever arm thereby formed between the roller26 and the pivot bearing 23, the lever 25 tilts and the lever end 29actuates the actuator cam 31 inside the mechanical switching mechanism32.

This function occurs regardless of whether the force is appliedcentrally to the longitudinal axis 7 of the housing, as illustrated bythe arrow 40. When the force is applied in the area 41, FIG. 1 showsthat the roller is thereby moved even somewhat more quickly toward thelongitudinal axis 7 of the housing. The ring-shaped stop 37, or when thepush button 30 is pressed, the ring-shaped stop 39, on the opposite sidebetween the front push button carrier 22 and the housing element 4,forms the fulcrum of such a lateral application of pressure. The same istrue if the force is applied on the opposite peripheral area 42, becausethe movement of the push button 20 in any case leads to an axialmovement of the roller 26 which results in a tipping of the lever 25.Therefore a central application of force is not necessary; any forceapplied to the push button 20 that leads to a tipping produces thedesired switching result.

With reference to FIG. 3, the actuation of the door opener switch fromthe back side is described below, and is symbolized by the applicationof force corresponding to the arrow 50. The rear push button 30 isthereby displaced along the longitudinal axis 7 of the housing into theinterior of the door opener switch. This movement results in adetachment of the rear push button carrier 33 with its collar 34 fromthe corresponding stop of the element 6. The rear push button carrier33, analogous to the front push button carrier 22, has a leap spring 35,whereby in this case an additional actuator cam 36 is in contact, whichis a projection of the first lever element 16. As a result of the axialdisplacement of the push button 30, the leaf spring 35 and thus, via theadditional actuator cam 36, the first lever element 16 is displaced inits sleeve 15 along the axis 46 and thus parallel to the axis 7. Thisdisplacement leads to a lifting of the collar 17 of the lever element 16from the circuit board 9. Because the front push button 20 is in thestop by means of the collar 21 of the front push button carrier 22, theleaf spring cannot move in the axial direction 7. In this case, too, theroller 26 is therefore also in a restricted guidance, which as a resultof the axial upward movement of the pivot bearing 23 leads to a tippingmovement of the actuator cam 24 together with the roller 26, so that thelever 25 in this case is also tipped and with its lever end 29 actuatesthe actuator cam 31 of the mechanical switching mechanism 32.

The same observation applies in the event of the application of pressureto the rear push button 30 at the sites 51 and 52, or in general on thecircular edge of the push button. In all cases, the facing part of thecollar 34 of the rear push button carrier 33 is in contact, so that atipping of the rear push button 30 still leads to an axial movement ofthe first lever element 16, although with a somewhat shorter stroke.However, that is actually an advantage in the illustrated construction,because even extremely short actuator travels result in a reliableactuation of the mechanical switch element 32 on account of thetranslation ratio of the lever 25.

Finally, FIG. 4 shows a door opener switch installed in a glass door, inwhich case the mounting plate 1 can be made of glass, for example.Reference number 53 designates the electrical feed lines that run in aframe 54 of the glass pane 1 to a control circuit. In the view inperspective, the mechanical switching element 32 which is switched bymeans of the actuator cam 31 is shown particularly clearly. The lever 25is a rectangular element in which the roller 26 is mounted in a slotthat runs transversely. FIG. 4 shows especially clearly the collar 34 ofthe rear push button carrier 33 as well as the front and rear sealingbellows 55.

The restoring force, however, is generated essentially exclusively bythe spring-loaded actuator cam 31 which, after the end of theapplication of pressure to the front or rear push button 20 or 30,returns said push button 20 or 30 to its normal position by a returnmovement of the lever 25. This sequence of events occurs because on onehand the lever 25 with its cam 24 pushes the lever element 16 with itscollar 17 into contact with the circuit board 9, and on the other handmoves the roller 26 into its idle position, which brings the front pushbutton 20 into contact with the collar 21.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rear jacket 2 forms the rear rosette whichcovers the switch and can be designed aesthetically and holds the glasspane 1 between it and the element 4, whereby the front rosette 3 isengaged on this element. In contrast to the configuration illustrated inthe accompanying figures, the door opener switch can naturally also besymmetrical with reference to the mounting plate 1. In general, however,the illustrated embodiment, in which the flat side with the push button20 faces outward, improves operational safety and reliability, becauseit is more resistant to tampering and attempted vandalism.

What is claimed is:
 1. A door opener switch with a tubular housing and abutton that moves axially in the housing to actuate a switchingmechanism that is connected with the housing, whereby the button is heldin its idle position by a restoring force and can be pushed in againstthe action of said restoring force with a lever that is orientedtransversely in the displacement path of the button and can be pivotedby the button around a pivot bearing, which lever acts with a point atsome distance from the pivot bearing on the switching mechanism, wherebythe button is in contact with the lever between the pivot bearing andthe point, wherein, on the back side of the housing there is anadditional button which is concentric to the first button, the pivotbearing is located in a lever element which can be moved in thedirection of the longitudinal axis of the housing toward the firstbutton, the additional button contacts the lever element and theadditional button can be held in its idle position by the restoringforce and can be pushed in against the action of said restoring force.2. The door opener switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contactpoint of the lever with the first button and the contact point of thelever element with the additional button lie in the longitudinal axis ofthe housing, which is at some lateral distance from the pivot bearing.3. The door opener switch as claimed in claim 2, wherein the buttons canbe tipped around the contact points.
 4. The door opener switch asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the pivot bearing is a universal joint. 5.The door opener switch as claimed in claim 3, wherein the restoringforce is applied essentially by the restoring spring that is present inthe switching mechanism and acts on the actuator cam.
 6. The door openerswitch as claimed in claim 5, wherein the buttons have a push buttonconnected with a push button carrier, which push button is guided in thehousing with radial clearance, and in the idle position of the buttons,the respective push button carriers are in contact with stops that aredistributed radially symmetrically with reference to the longitudinalaxis of the housing on contact surfaces that are stationary with respectto the housing, and are held against the latter stops by the restoringforce.
 7. The door opener switch as claimed in claim 3, wherein, in thehousing, transverse to the path of displacement of the buttons, fastenedwithout play there is a lever element that has the pivot bearing and thepair of circuit boards that comprise the switching mechanism.
 8. Thedoor opener switch as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pivot bearing is auniversal joint.
 9. The door opener switch as claimed in claim 2,wherein the restoring force is applied essentially by the restoringspring that is present in the switching mechanism and acts on theactuator cam.
 10. The door opener switch as claimed in claim 9, whereinthe buttons have a push button connected with a push button carrier,which push button is guided in the housing with radial clearance, and inthe idle position of the buttons, the respective push button carriersare in contact with stops that are distributed radially symmetricallywith reference to the longitudinal axis of the housing on contactsurfaces that are stationary with respect to the housing, and are heldagainst the latter stops by the restoring force.
 11. The door openerswitch as claimed in claim 2, wherein, in the housing, transverse to thepath of displacement of the buttons, fastened without play there is alever element that has the pivot bearing and the pair of circuit boardsthat comprise the switching mechanism.
 12. The door opener switch asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the pivot bearing is a universal joint. 13.The door opener switch as claimed in claim 12, wherein the restoringforce is applied essentially by the restoring spring that is present inthe switching mechanism and acts on the actuator cam.
 14. The dooropener switch as claimed in claim 13, wherein the buttons have a pushbutton connected with a push button carrier, which push button is guidedin the housing with radial clearance, and in the idle position of thebuttons, the respective push button carriers are in contact with stopsthat are distributed radially symmetrically with reference to thelongitudinal axis of the housing on contact surfaces that are stationarywith respect to the housing, and are held against the latter stops bythe restoring force.
 15. The door opener switch as claimed in claim 12,wherein, in the housing, transverse to the path of displacement of thebuttons, fastened without play there is a lever element that has thepivot bearing and the pair of circuit boards that comprise the switchingmechanism.
 16. The door opener switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein therestoring force is applied essentially by the restoring spring that ispresent in the switching mechanism and acts on the actuator cam.
 17. Thedoor opener switch as claimed in claim 16, wherein the buttons have apush button connected with a push button carrier, which push button isguided in the housing with radial clearance, and in the idle position ofthe buttons, the respective push button carriers are in contact withstops that are distributed radially symmetrically with reference to thelongitudinal axis of the housing on contact surfaces that are stationarywith respect to the housing, and are held against the latter stops bythe restoring force.
 18. The door opener switch as claimed in claim 16,wherein, in the housing, transverse to the path of displacement of thebuttons, fastened without play there is a lever element that has thepivot bearing and the pair of circuit boards that comprise the switchingmechanism.
 19. The door opener switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein, inthe housing, transverse to the path of displacement of the buttons,fastened without play there is a lever element that has the pivotbearing and the pair of circuit boards that comprise the switchingmechanism.
 20. The door opener switch as claimed in claim 18, whereinthe housing that surrounds the push button is made of translucentmaterial, the circuit boards are equipped in the vicinity of the housingwall with light-emitting diodes that face the respective housing side,and the housing wall is provided with recesses to hold thelight-emitting diodes.